Forgotten Soldier: Part II

"What sappy cheesy moment thingy?"

They stare at me in shock.

Claude is the first to recover, "What the hell have you been doing?"

I shrug and mumble something unintelligible as I sink down on the coffee table in front of them.

"You what!" Aaron practically growls, "You punched Tala? Holy shit you could just have told us you we're suicidal."

"He deserved it!"

Aaron just rolls his eyes, "That jerk deserves a lot of things but that doesn't mean you're the one to give it to him. Now go and sit on the couch and I'll look if I can find that first aid kit."

"Why did you punch him?" Claude asks softly while we listen to the sounds of Aaron moving around the bathroom.

"He called Aaron a walking piece of lard."

I don't look up at him; instead I stare at my bloodied knuckles. Tala's blood or mine? I don't know, my memory is a bit blurred and I'm aching everywhere.

Claude hisses, "That…"

He was cut off by Aaron's triumphant "Found it!"

We both look up as Aaron enters the room again, the first aid kit clutched underneath his arm as he is carrying a small tub filled with water.

Placing the tub on the coffee table he sighs, "Why is it that whenever I'm not around you end up in a fight Miguel?"

I shrug for an answer, it is true, I'm a hothead by nature and there are only three people who can really calm me down, my aunt, my uncle and Aaron.

"Now let's see what damage Tala has done to you."

I don't struggle as he takes my face in his hands and starts to exanimate me, after all he has done it countless of times before. I even close my eyes as he gingerly touches the sore spot on my head, the practiced movements with which he tends after my wounds making me remember the first time we met. I think I was about ten at the time; my temper had gotten me into a beybattle with four of the neighborhood bullies and I was losing badly until out of nowhere a black blade shot forward and knocked one of them out. Even though I couldn't see his blader the black blade continued to help me and soon enough only Dark Gargoyle and that mysterious blade were left spinning. "You okay kid?" When I spun around I saw Aaron for the first time, he was leaning against a three, his dark eyes filled with worry. He took me to his place where he cleaned out and bandaged the cuts I had gotten during the fight. In eight years our friendship hasn't changed that much, he tries to keep me out of fights but if needed he always is there to fight beside me and if he isn't present he always is the one to patch me up afterwards.

I wince as he applies the disinfectant to the cut on my brow.

"I hope it was worth it." Claude and I stare at him in confusion.

He just rolled his eyes, "You've got a split lip, several bruises, a swollen cheek, two black eyes and a bump the size of an egg, was punching Tala worth it?"

"He has a black eye," I look down at my hands again, the blood is gone and I can't see any wounds so it must've been Tala's.

"That's one for Miguel and ten for Tala."

"He might have a bloody nose too."

"That really settles the score captain."

"Believe me it was worth it." He looks at me skeptically but I only smile. Defending a friend like Aaron? Oh, the cuts and bruises were definitely worth it, Aaron was a friend worth fighting for.

"If you say so, do you have any other complaints?"

"I'm a bit dizzy and I think that lasagna we had for dinner was a bit funky…"

"You mean you're nauseous?"

"Yeah a bit."

"Damn it Miguel! It's called a concussion you idiot!"

I stare as he rubs his hands over his face.

"Okay, we're going to see the doctor first thing in the morning, now you two should go to sleep and I will wake Miguel up every hour."

"Why?"

"Because if that concussion is heavy enough you can fall into a coma if I don't that's why."

"Okay." I try to stand up but I immediately sit down again as the rooms seems to be spinning before my eyes. I wasn't this dizzy a moment ago was I?

"You can't even stand?" I shake my head, shit, that wasn't the smartest thing to do.

"I'll help you." Claude stands up but he stumbles as he has had one too many beers.

Aaron pitches the bridge of his nose.

"Claude sit down, I'll first help Miguel up to his room and then come down again to help you okay."

Claude nods and sits down again.

"Now come on captain." He swings my arm around his neck and helps me of the couch.

Muscles I didn't even know I had seemed to protest as we staggered up the stairs.

"What's wrong?"

"Hurts, everything."

"Very eloquent as always, that's what happens when you anger mentally instable Russians Miguel."

I wince as if to ephasise his point.

"How did you get home?"

"Drove."

He growled, "Do you have any idea how lucky you've been?"

"Ehh, very?"

Aaron just rolls his eyes as he manouvres us into my room.

"Very indeed, you could have gotten a blackout."

"Oh."

"Idiot."

I just wince as he deposits me on my bed.

"I'll bring you some painkillers when I've helped Claude upstairs, are you alright?"

"Well, it's just, I don't think that…" I lift up my arms a bit and wince again. He immediately knows what I mean, don't ask me how but for some reason that is enough for him to know that I can't get my own shirt off. He quickly helps me out of it and my shoes and socks are also gone, there is no awkwardness what so ever when he does this. Has he really become this accustomed to helping me? The answer probably is yes.

"Aaron?"

"Hhm?"

"Thanks."

I can't see his face in the semi-darkness but I know he is smiling.

"No problem Miguel."

With that he walks away to go and help Claude.